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Cheese Enchiladas with Chile con Carne

Source of Recipe

From "The Homesick Texan Cookbook" by Lisa Fain


Recipe Introduction

"John Sayles's movie Lone Star came out just after I moved to New York City. As I sat in a movie theater on Broadway watching this murder mystery set on the Texas-Mexico border, I cried on more than one occasion as the landscape, the accents, and the people were all so familiar to my homesick self. But the shots that killed me the most were the loving, lingering close-ups of cheese enchilada platters. I reached out my hand—as if to grab the plate on the screen—and said, 'I want!' My New Yorker friends looked at me like I was nuts, but I didn't care—most Texans will agree that a plate of cheese enchiladas drowning in savory chile con carne is the essence of Tex-Mex. While enchiladas are found across the border in Mexico, in Texas we've put our stamp on it by stuffing the enchiladas with yellow cheese and covering it in our state dish—a hearty, beefy chili. If you ask a Texan what they miss the most, more often than not it's this signature dish. You just can't find it done well at restaurants outside the state, as for some reason this particular combination of flavors is hard to reproduce unless you grew up with the dish and know how it's supposed to taste. I, however, have figured out a way to make it at home. If you're feeling homesick, I guarantee that after taking one bite of these cheese enchiladas, you'll be instantly transported back to Texas."

List of Ingredients

For the Chile con Carne:
â—¦ 6 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
â—¦ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard
â—¦ ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, chopped
â—¦ ½ tablespoon ground cumin
â—¦ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ ¼ pound ground beef
â—¦ 2 cups beef broth
â—¦ Salt, black pepper, and cayenne, to taste

For the Enchiladas:
â—¦ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard
â—¦ 12 corn tortillas
â—¦ 4 cups grated cheddar cheese (16 ounces)
â—¦ ½ medium yellow onion, diced



Recipe

In a dry skillet heated on high, toast the ancho chiles on each side for about 10 seconds or just until they start to puff. Fill the skillet with enough water to cover chiles. Leave the heat on until the water begins to boil and then turn off the heat and let the chiles soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Once hydrated, discard the soaking water and rinse the chiles. Place in a blender.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil or lard, and cook the onions, occasionally stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Place cooked onions and garlic into the blender, along with the cumin, oregano, allspice, cinnamon, and 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth.

In the same pot that you used to cook the onions and garlic, on medium heat brown the ground beef, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. (If you like, you can drain the extra fat once the meat is browned.) Add the chile purée and the beef broth, heat on high until boiling, and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes, adjust seasonings and add salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste.

To make the enchiladas, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish. In a skillet, heat up the oil or lard on medium-low heat. One at a time, heat up the tortillas in the hot oil. Keep them wrapped in a cloth or tortilla warmer until all the tortillas are heated.

Take a heated tortilla and use tongs to dip it into a sauce. Shake off most of the sauce, but make sure that it's moist enough to be pliable. Lay the tortilla on a plate or clean cooking surface, add ¼ cup of the grated cheese down the center of it, along with a few of the diced onions. Roll the tortilla. Place rolled enchilada in the greased baking dish and repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining grated cheese and diced onions. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling.

Makes 4 to 6 servings